Combination broom holder and dust pan



June 28, 1932. P, MAH NEY 1,864,918

COMBINATION BROOM HOLDER AND DUSTPAN Filed Jan. 12. 1961 Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN P. MAHONEY, OF AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GARDNER BROOM COMPANY, OF AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK, A COPABTNERSHIP COMPOSED OF WILLIAM A. GARDNER AND HERBERT P. GARDNER COMBINATIONBROOM HOLDER AND DUST PAN Application filed January 12, 1931. Serial No. 508,258.

so that the broom may be suspended from a suitable nail or other hanger.

A further object is to provide a broom holder in which, after removal'of the broom, the handle of the device maybe reversed and the device utilized as a dust pan.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined broom holder and dust pan having the clamp sections of the'broom holder and the handle thereof pivotally connected together by a single pivot which permits of the handle being reversed to either of its two operative positions. v I g A further object of the invention is to provide the broom holder with a stop shoulder having a groove to receive the handle and retain the same in place to permit the device being usedas a dust pan.

A further object is to provide a device of the class described which will be'composed of a few simple, strong and durable parts which are inexpensive to manufacture and will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed. it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device with the parts in position to suspend a broom from a suitable support,

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the device showing the handle reversed to provide a dust P Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2 showing the single pivot and the stop shoulder for properly positiioning the handle to provide a dust pan, an

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. r

In carrying out the invention, I prefershown in Fig. 4, the plates being disposed to overlap each other and each being provided at thelongitudinal edge with an in wardly curved flange 12 designed to engage with the body 18 of a broom 14.

A single rivet 15 is preferably. passed through the'centers of the overlapping plates and pivotally secures the plates together. As best shown in Fig. 2,theplate 11 terminates in substantially a straight edge 16 remote from the flange 12 thereof, while the plate 11 terminates in a curvilinear edge 17 remote from the flange thereof. 'The latter plate is provided on the rear face with an out-turned rear edge portion forming a shoulder 18. A

helical spring 19 is terminally connected at one end to said shoulder and at the opposite end is terminally connected to a bracket120 carried by the plate 11, as best shown in Fig. 4. The spring yieldably maintains the plates .10 and 11 in their normal positions so that the flanges 12 will have a clamping action upon the body of the broom.

As shown in F igs.. 1 and 2, the plates 10 and 11 are tapered to fit the contour of the body of the broom, the spring 19 being positioned at the smaller end of the broom holder. At the wide end of the broom holder the plate 10 is bent transversely upon itself to provide a flange 21 which receives the leading edge 22 of theplate 11, as shown in Fig. 2, and forms a guide for the same during pivotal movement thereof.

A handle 23, preferably formed of a single length of bar material, is pivoted at one end to the plate 11 by the pivot 15 and is bent outwardly from the back plate 11, as best shown in Fig. 3. The handle is preferably equipped with a grip 24 which may be riveted in place, as shown at 25, and terminates in an eye 26. Q

As best shown in Fig. 1, the handle may be swung on the pivot 15 toextend from the,

wide end of the broom holder. The bodyl13 of the broom may be then 'passed, liandle foremost, between the clamping fiangesl2,

ably provide a pair of plates 10 and 11, as

until the latter engage the body of the broom firmly enough to prevent the broom from falling out of the holder. Thereupon, the eye 26 may be hooked over a nail 27 or other suitable hanger to suspend the broom from the wall or other support.

By now referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that after the broom is removed, the broom holder may be converted into a dust pan by simply reversing the handle 23 on the pivot 15 to project from the narrow end of the holder. In this position of the handle, the offset portion 23 thereof passes into a notch 28, as best shown in Fig. 4:, formed in the stop shoulder 18, and is held thereby against accidental dislodgment, the resiliency of the handle 23 being sufficient to prevent the handle escaping from the notch until manually dislodged to again convert the device to a broom holder. 7

In operation, assuming the device to be in use as a broom holder when it is desired to withdraw the broom from the holder, the handle 14 may be grasped and pulled downwardly, whereupon the body 13 of the broom will force the narrow ends of theclamping flanges 12 outwardly against the tension of the spring 19 and thus swing the plates 10 and 11 on the pivot 15 until the body of the broom is completely detached from the holder, whereupon the spring will again return the plates to their normal positions.

By referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the straight edge 16 of the plate 10 engages with the curved flange 12 of the plate 11 and forms a stop which limits inward movement of the plates under the influence of the spring.

The device may be constructed of any desired material, either sheet met-a1, corrugated or otherwise, or any suitable composite ma terial may be used. It is conceivable that even both the plates 10 and 11 may be formed integral, if desired, with resilient springs inside of the side flanges, so long as in constructing the device the handle thereof is adapted to be reversed to extend from either the leading end or the rear end of the device to form either a broom holder or a dust pan, as described.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A combined broom holder and dust pan comprising lapped plates provided with lateral clamping flanges, a single pivot operatively connecting the plates, a spring for yieldably holding said plates at one limit of plvotal movement on said pivot, and a handle operatively connected to said plates by said plvot and adapted to be reversed to extend from diametrically opposite ends of the plates.

2. A combined broom holder and dust pan comprising overlapping plates provided with coacting laterally disposed clamping flanges,

pivotally connecting the plates together, a

spring carried by the first-named plate and connected to said stop shoulder for resisting pivotal movement of the plates, and a handle pivotally connected to one of said plates and being adapted to be swung to project in operative positions to extend over said spring or over said guide flange.

4. A combined dust pan and broom holder comprising overlapping plates pivot-ally connected together at a medial'point, broom holding curved flanges on the lateral edges .of said plates, said. flanges diverging, a spring connecting said plates together and resisting piv otal movement thereof, one of said plates having a straight marginal longitudinal edge engaging one of said flanges and forming a stop to limit movement of said flanges under influence of said spring, a resilient handle terminally pivoted to one of said plates and having an offset portion terminating in a grip,and an outstanding stop shoulder carried by the last-named plate recessed to re ceive'the oflset portion of said handle and lock said handle to extend longitudinally beyond said plates.

5. A combined broom'holder and dust pan including overlapping plates pivoted to getheryand provided with diverging broom clamping flanges, a spring resisting pivotal movement of the plates, and a handle operatively pivoted to the plates and adapted to be reversed to extend from between either the wide ends or the narrow ends of said diverging flanges. 4

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN P. MAHONEY. [as] let 

